The Ironman 70.3 Austin race is coming up on October 29th! Here’s our race preview –

Summary: The race course is the same as last year. The main changes for 2017 are both weather related: (1) no fog this year and (2) much cooler temperatures.

10/26/2017 WEATHER UPDATE - A cold front is coming in Friday into Saturday. This means that overnight lows Saturday night will be in the low 40s. Expect an air temperature for the swim on Sunday morning in the 40s, with the temps rising into the 50s on the bike and 60s on the run.

Pre-race: Race starts at 7:30 AM. Transition opens at 5:30 and closes at 7:15. Because there is a shuttle from the Expo Center parking lot to the swim start, it's best to arrive by 6:00. There is only one entrance to the parking lot, so expect significant delays if you arrive later than 6:00. Last year, we cut it a bit close, and I had to hop out of the car and run to the shuttle. We also found the shuttle organization not as orderly as some other races, so it’s best to arrive early. Also, I don’t remember the parking lot being particularly well lit, so bring a headlamp or other light.

Swim: Swimstart is rolling and self-seeded. This means that you line up in accordance with your expected swim time. This is my favorite kind of start. It means you aren’t having to swim around slow swimmers, and if you’re a slow swimmer like me, you aren’t getting swam over. The swim is a clockwise triangle, with two turns. The swim is in a lake, so conditions are typically good, unless it is windy or stormy. I think the swim will probably be wetsuit eligible. Despite warm temps leading up to the race last year, the swim was wetsuit eligible (but canceled because of fog). The extended forecast calls for cooler temperatures here in Austin over the next two weeks. (10/26/2017 UPDATE - that forecast is right -- the race will definitely be wetsuit eligible)

Bike: As noted above, the course is the same as last year. The bike is mostly rolling with a listed net elevation gain of 1,555 feet (however, total climbing may be closer to 2,200 feet - thanks Derek Smith from Fort Worth) . The net elevation is not too bad, but most of the bigger hills are in the second half of the race, so you’ll need to keep plenty in the tank. The first serious hill isn’t until about mile 21, and then you have more hills to tackle at 26, 32, 37, 45-46, 50 and 53. Most of those hills are ~ 100-125 foot inclines. They’re not terribly long, but they can be tough if you went too hard the first half of the bike. Also, if you’ve done this race before, you know that the road surface is not spectacular, so be prepared for that.

Run: The run is a three-loop course without a lot of shade. Last year, the sun and temps in the upper 80s made for a tough run. Fortunately, there was plenty of race support. Right now, the long-term forecast calls for highs in the 70s, let’s hope it stays that way. The three loops mean that you have the same incline each loop. The inclines are miles 3-4, 7.5-9, and 11 to the finish. The hills and the corresponding declines mean that you shouldn’t overuse your quads on the bike. You’ll need them on the run. The finish is inside the arena.

Transitions: The race has two different transitions. T1 is by the lake, and T2 is by the arena. No real impact from this, other than you’ll need to make sure your T2 bag gets to where it’s supposed to be.

Spectators: The swim and the run are your best options to support your racers. Bring a book for the bike. If it gets hot like last year, you can hide in the arena and tell your racer that you saw them on the run, but there were so many people that your racer didn’t see you. :)

More information and the race athlete guide available through the Ironman website.

We would also love to see you at our Kick-Off happy hour on November 6th at the Ginger Man in downtown Austin. For more details and to RSVP, see our facebook event page.

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